Tag Archives: Jennifer Parsons

Martha and Tiny Pine officially meet.

I realize that it’s been a couple of weeks since this news broke but I have been too much flurrying around the workshop to post it here… but it’s definitely worth hollering about – betther late than never!

This has been making me smile since they inquired. Tiny Pine Press got a stationery feature on The Bride’s Guide: Martha Stewart Weddings!

Splendid!!

It’s  fun that my personality shines through in the written interview so if you just miss talking to me,  check out this feature. It tells the story of how Tiny Pine Press was started, and then goes into all the inspirations.

Here are a couple of the photos that were featured but check it out and look at all the pretty pictures! (thanks to Gia Canali!)

how to interview your plants…

Megan from Forget Me Knot Weddings Blog probably thinks I am a crazy person. In my interview, I talked about talking to pressed leaves and plants and once again personified my presses. (Good thing I didn’t mention that I am a like a single mother to my only child, TPP… and I spoil little TPP. ok. this IS sounding kinda kooky)

But she was sweet enough to post the interview despite my silly typed out answers. And I am very proud of being featured on her blog. It makes me smile…

Here is a photo of a plant application. This one was adhered to wood veneer (hey, that rhymes!). I really did let the energy of this little plume guide me on all the invitations.

Ok. that’s enough kook for any blog post.

ps photo by Gia Canali

Tiny Pines + Hipstamatic = The new old fashioned

Whenever I hang out with Gia Canali, I get bitten by the photography bug. She was showing me her iphone photos using the Hipstamatic App, and I took a notion to download that myself. I was hoping that all I needed was a program to make my photos look like hers…

Well, turns out that taking good iphone photos not as easy as just paying $1.99. BUT I was able to start learning how to use my new took as I stitched this weekend.

These photos are of an invitation I am working on right now. My client wanted to have a similar look to this invitation which i designed almost 6 years ago. (I used a black and white “film” to convey the idea that this is the OLD invitation, just so you know )

This new bride is getting married near a pine forest and really loved having that visual element stitched on.

For her, we brightened up the paper a little bit, freshened up the typeface with an added script element, printed letterpress on handmade cotton paper with a slight shimmer – using a cool grey ink color and stitched in a subtle green since her wedding isn’t in the fall… (though you can’t actually tell from my old fashioned photo…… hmmm….)

Every invitation was stitched with the sewing machine but guided by my hand which definitely requires complete concentration, and lots

of tunes in the background.

Since I am quite fond of pines so the hours of stitching breezed by as I concentrated on each one and their limbs.

Obviously, some are taller than other, wider than others, etc. but together they make an elegant stitched tiny pine forest.

Sending letters of Gratitude – at a party?

This past tuesday night the Buzz Girls put on a super fun fashion show and party benefiting the Joyful Heart Foundation. It was extremely honoring to have Tiny Pine Press be the onsite stationer!

In the middle of the room sat this beautiful table that filled with Tine Pine Press thank you notes. The idea was that the guests would hand write actual physical notes (not an email, or text or facebook wall post) of gratitude to someone who had helped their life in a positive way.

I contributed the Joyful Heart Foundation “gratitude” stationery“(that we created specifically for JHF and you can get your own here with proceeds going to the foundation)  along with a bunch of different other thank you notes so there could be a variety. All the stationery was printed letterpress, by hand, for the event specifically because I love them.

The most amazing part is that the Buzz Girls provided pre-stamped envelopes so all anyone had to do was write an address and pop them in the mail. Talk about spreading positivity around easy!!! If you happened to have the recipients address in your mind, you could just drop it in the beautiful mailbox right then…  extra convenient.

Oh, and here is actress Julia Ling, hugging the mailbox.

(I do that all the time too, but there’s not a photographer capturing it!)

and a photo myself with Mary, Andrea and Abby – some of the Joyful Heart Foundation’s LA crew!

Photos by Michael Kovac  (thank you!)

Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney’s Wedding Invitations from The Bachelor!

Molly & Jason’s Wedding Invitation by Tiny Pine Press

Hi all!

I am really excited to post these photos!!

I realize it’s been over a month since the wedding, but I finally have a couple of photos to post of Jason and Molly’s wedding invitation that we designed and produced for their February 27 nuptials.

This picture really shows off the handmade paper with the natural deckle edges. It’s 100% cotton made in the USA lovely and elegant paper, printed letterpress and then mounted to a piece of walnut… then tied with green silk thread!

Here is a pretty good peak at the envelope liner with the custom pattern we designed that was later repeated at the reception on the wedding cake (by our friends, Vanilla Bake Shop)  and muslin escort card card bags that we printed…

and here is a photo of the walnut backing attached to a tree in the backyard outside my studio. This just makes me smile. I hope it is as inspiring to you!

photos by Gia Canali

Tiny Pine ventures into fair trade fashion

A couple of years ago, I discovered that two of my college friends from Northwestern University, Maureen Dunn and Michelle King, owned a Fair Trade Clothing Line called Mata Traders. Soon we figured out that the Tiny Pine style could have a place within Mata… I helped out with some design for the tags, catalogs and logo redux. Then Maureen asked me if I wanted to try my hand at actually designing some of the clothes.

The cooperatives in India that Mata Traders works with do a lot of applique work and hand stitching. This made me really smiley because I knew that anything I would come up with would be treated with love the way all handmade products are.

I was super proud to do some applique design sketches for Mata, and then they translated within their block printed clothes. This shirt, which they so sweetly named the “Jennifer Blouse”, was one of the pieces I worked on. The collection will be available sometime in late April… keep your eyes opened at your nearest fair trade clothing shop!

Pretty Pictures

A couple of weeks ago, I went out on a little hiking adventure with Gia Canali in Fryman Canyon (in Los Angeles)… Well, it was more than just a hike. Gia’s husband Matt was lugging 3 or 4 heavy camera’s along because this was to be a photo shoot. I haven’t ever had my pictures taken professionally before so I didn’t think it at all peculiar that we would take a hike….

I was uncomfortable as Gia started clicking the cameras… apparently I am a “blinker”… and the more we hiked along the trail, the more relaxed (and probably sweaty) I got.

We got to the last bit of light that day and I tied on my printing apron that I carried with me up the hill. Gia got out her big old lovely 4×5 camera and loaded some polaroid film. I instantly felt in my element… In front of a BIG tree, as the sun was setting, with the mountains behind me… I was wearing my work out fit and I was comfortable.

Gia took the picture and promptly starting doing some magic work on the film and a couple of days later, she emailed this to me. Everything combined created an antique photo of me…. making me look as if I was a printer plucked from the turn of the century… (the 1900’s)

Now I can’t help but post this picture everywhere… I feel like she was able to capture me and then somehow with her chemical processes, Gia produced this vintage looking version of me.

So, all of that was to say… Gia sure does know how to make a picture. Literally….

Variations Launch Party – The Full Report

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I have been so busy catching up with my day job at tiny pine that I neglected my blog responsibilities (for silly tea parties and episodes of Madmen) to post images from the super fun party at Urbanic Paper Boutique last week… (Fortunately Audrey at Parcel Post and Gia Canali were more diligent with their blogging)IMG_8780

In preparation for the party and because it was at a store, I created a bunch of stationery to sell there that night. It kind of makes me feel like I should open an etsy shop.. that’s next on the to do list!!

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It really isn’t my normal style to solicit attention, but when I delivered the album to Urbanic and Audrey thought to combine the Abbott Kinney First Fridays event with the Launch of the Variations collection, then I had to agree… I mean, I couldn’t resist a chance to have some amazing music,IMG_8934 yummy snacks AND a really cool Project Social (as they like to call it there at Urbanic when they make crafties on the back patio)

The Tiny Pine sponsored the project social – mix CD sleeves for someone you love or like…. I had a bunch of leftover sheets die cut and pre-glued… I brought a bunch of myleftover materials (leaves, flowers, rhinestones, rubberstamps) to combine with Urbanic’s pile for all the visitors to create their little works of art.

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Anyways, that night was really fun. Lots of friends came out to support me and I am very grateful for to them –

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Particularly Cheryl & Angelo Catering for creating the yummiest snacks and to DJ’s John & Jeremy- for spinning the music that everyone used as inspiration for the cd sleeves…. also they stayed til the very end, which led to me getting my groove on after everyone had left…

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Ok. There’s the report… Any questions?

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THANKS EVERYONE!!

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xoxojennifer

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Photos by Paul Esposito
more pictures at Tiny Pine’s Facebook Page become a fan!